The University of Minnesota baseball team gears up for the 2026 Cambria College Classic this weekend, facing off against UNLV, SDSU, and UNO in a round robin style tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Tournament Timeline
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Friday, March 6
11:00am SDSU vs. Northwestern 3:00pm Nebraska-Omaha vs. SIU Carbondale 7:00pm UNLV vs. Minnesota Saturday, March 7
11:00am SIU Carbondale vs. UNLV 3:00pm Northwestern vs. Nebraska-Omaha 7:00pm SDSU vs. Minnesota Sunday, March 8
9:30am SIU Carbondale vs. SDSU 2:00pm Northwestern vs. UNLV 6:00pm Omaha vs. Minnesota
2026 Cambria College Classic
One of the nation’s premier college baseball tournaments is returning for its fourth year to U.S. Bank Stadium. The Cambria College Classic will take place this March 6-8 in Minneapolis and highlight six premiere NCAA programs throughout the Big Ten, Mountain West, the Summit League, and the Missouri Valley conferences.
Cambria is the leading American-made, family-owned producer of natural quartz surfaces and has long been an integral supporter of the University of Minnesota. Starting in the 2020 season, this partnership continues to highlight Cambria’s continued support of Gopher Athletics and the University of Minnesota.
During the tournament, Cambria will present a variety of family-friendly activities, including the Cambria Kid Zone with games like cornhole, Plinko, giveaways, and photo opportunities with Cambi the Cambria mascot.
The winner of the tournament will receive the 2026 Cambria College Classic trophy, specially designed and handcrafted by Cambria themselves.
Head to Head History
-The 2026 Cambria College Classic will mark the first matchup in program history between Minnesota and UNLV
-The Gophers are 42-15 all time against the Jackrabbits, most recently taking them down last season 4-2 at Siebert Field
-Minnesota is an even 2-2 against Nebraska-Omaha, falling to the Mavericks 7-10 in the most recent matchup back in 2022
Scouting the Competition
-The UNLV Rebels are 10-4 overall to start the 2026 season, most recently falling in extra innings to Northern Colorado. The Rebels closed out 2025 with a 31-23 record, falling in the opening round of the Mountain West championship to San Diego State
-The SDSU Jackrabbits are 4-8 throughout 2026 so far, most recently falling to Nebraska 4-5. The Jackrabbits closed out 2025 with a 16-36 overall.
-The UNO Mavericks are 4-7 overall in 2026, also most recently falling to Nebraska 5-8. The Mavericks closed out 2025 with a 20-30 record, falling in the Summit League tournament to Oral Roberts.
Last Time Out
-Minnesota swept the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a pair of mid-week matchups, hitting the ten run rule in Tuesday’s 14-4 win and taking them down 6-2 on Wednesday.
What’s On Tap
-The Gophers will host two more mid-week matchups against Gonzaga University at U.S. Bank Stadium next week before opening Big Ten play on the road against the University of Illinois next weekend.
Neels Garners National Weekly Honors
-For his effort against Kansas last week, Weber Neels has been named to Baseball America’s National Team of the Week and the NCBWA’s National Co-Hitter of the Week after being named the Big Ten Player of the Week. The senior catcher slashed .714 batting average, .737 on base percentage, and 1.714 slugging percentage, while tallying nine runs batted in, four home runs, two stolen bases, and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage
Spanier Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist
-Junior shortstop Jack Spanier has been named to the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award watchlist. The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year.
Stacking Up Against The Rest
-The Gophers currently stand at the top of the Big Ten Conference in total stolen bases with 34 and in triples hit with five. They also rank third for total home runs with 18.
-Michael Lippe and Ty Allen stand as leaders in the Big Ten for certain statistical categories. Lippe currently leads the conference in walks with 13 throughout the first ten games, while Allen is tied for most triples hit with three.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
